Strength of Love: Book 3 in the Heirs of Orion Series

by D. Anne Paris

  Calm the fuck down. He just took her to dinner. He took care of her. If he wasn't dead Tiny would have thanked him for taking care of Elle. Tiny sighed. Even if they found his killer, she wouldn't be able to speak rationally if Elle used her power on her. There would be no way to get her to confess. Everyone would think she was disabled and it would add to her innocence.

  Tiny slapped the steering wheel in frustration. There had to be a way to get Elle out of this. There was no fucking way she would be put away for a crime she didn't commit.

  There was some movement on the side of the road and Tiny looked in that direction. A deer's head popped out. He slammed on the brakes just as it jumped out in front of the car and bolted across. The car skidded a bit and stopped inches away from the deer that just kept running. Another deer followed behind it and two more came out and ran after the rest of the group.

  "First bees, now deer! What the fuck!?" He waited a few more seconds to be sure more didn't pop out. No more came and he cautiously started to continue.

  "Make a right in 500 feet," the GPS told him. It sounded far away and muffled.

  Tiny glanced at the seat. His phone was missing. It must have fallen on the floor when he slammed on the brakes. He maneuvered the car to the shoulder and stopped it. He reached down to retrieve it from the passenger floor when his hand hit a plastic bag with a box. Sitting up, he looked for the interior light switch. He flicked it on then dove back and pulled up the bag. It was a regular white plastic bag with Thank You written on it. His hand reached in and pulled out the box.

  He froze as he read the contents. It was a pregnancy test. Elle must have bought this the night she left. Tiny twisted it around. It wasn't opened yet. No wonder she ran off. He dropped the test on his lap and stared at it. She was terrified. Hell, he didn't know how to feel. He just had one baby and now another one could be on the way. He loved Elle. There was no doubt in his mind he wanted to be with her forever. They would get through this. She was a lot stronger than she gave herself credit for being. With her by his side they'd get through this.

  Tiny threw the test back on the passenger side floor. He knew what he had to do. The car skidded as he accelerated on the gravel shoulder and jumped back onto the road.

  Chapter 25

  The slam of a door awoke Elle from her plagued dreams. She sat up on the cot and looked around her. It wasn't a bad dream. She was still in a jail cell somewhere in Wyoming and the awful smell still made her stomach uneasy. The sound of footsteps approaching her cell caught her attention. Was it Tiny?

  She swung her legs down and waited.

  Her heart sank as she saw one of the officers walk up to her cell and unlock the door. There were two women dressed in dark suits behind him.

  "All yours." The officer let them into her cell.

  "Who are you?" Elle stood up.

  "You're being transferred." The taller woman with short dark hair replied and took out a pair of handcuffs.

  "Transferred? What? I'm not a prisoner. I was told I was just a suspect." Elle tried to back away but hit the cot.

  The woman roughly grabbed her hand in front of her and put the handcuffs on. Elle tried to squirm away before the woman was able to lock her other hand, but the woman was faster and took hold of it and locked the handcuff around it.

  "You can't take me away!" Elle screamed as they pulled her to her feet and pushed her out of the cell.

  "Do you need help with her?" The officer casually asked them.

  The shorter blonde woman shook her head. "Nope, we got it. Thank you very much, officer."

  "Never would have thought her to be on the FBI's most wanted list."

  Elle whipped around and glared daggers at them. "What?!"

  The tall Amazonian woman threw Elle's coat over her shoulders. "Keep walking."

  "I'm not wanted by the FBI!" she shouted back at her. "This is definitely a mistake!"

  "Shut up!" The Amazonian pushed her again towards the back door.

  Elle started to walk. She needed to get away from these people. Something was not adding up right. Who were they? If they took her away she would never see Tiny or any of her family again. Her heart leaped when she thought of Tiny. Somehow he found her, brought her food, comforted her. To never see him again...

  A strange feeling came over her. She’d finally found the love of her life and there was no way these bitches were going to take her away from him. She'd fight them and do everything she could to get away...including using her powers. Mentally, she started going through some of the training she’d learned back at the resort. The shorter woman in the suit went ahead of them and pushed the back door open.

  "Thanks again," she told the officer.

  The woman pushed Elle outside. The cool wind whipped through Elle's body and she shivered. The door behind them closed and the Amazonian woman pushed Elle. In the darkness she misjudged the area and her whole body fell downward. Pain seared through her whole side as it slammed against the concrete stairs. A cry escaped from her lips when her shoulder hit the bottom of the stairs.

  A sinister laugh erupted from her tormentor. "Oops, someone should replace the light bulb out here." She cackled again. "You Orions aren't so powerful, are you?"

  Elle froze. Orions? Her heart began to race. They must be from the Agency. She blinked to adjust to the darkness. She breathed through the pain and willed herself to get up. There had to be somewhere she could run. She wasn't going to fall into their hands. Her arm throbbed and pain shot through it when she moved it to help herself sit up.

  A hand yanked her arm and forced her up.

  "Arg!" she screamed as blinding white pain shot through her body. She’d either dislocated it or broken it.

  "Aw, what's wrong? You got a boo boo?" the Amazonian mocked her and held her up. "I thought you Orions were powerful? You don't look so powerful to me. Now walk." She shoved Elle.

  Elle started to walk in the direction the woman pushed her. Lifting her head, she blinked and tried to focus on her surroundings instead of the pain of her arm. There were a couple of squad cars and one black sedan that sat in the middle of the parking lot.

  She scanned the area around the parking lot. There was nowhere to run and hide. The whole area was flat. There were a couple of trees and bushes, nothing that could hide her. Once she was in the car she wouldn't have a chance to escape. The Agency would take her away someplace where no one would find her. She wouldn't be their lab rat- ever.

  She stopped mid-stride and the woman behind her bumped into her throbbing arm. She bit her lip to keep from screaming.

  "What the fuck!" her captor screamed at her. Elle turned to face her. "I'm. Not. Leaving." She enunciated each word.

  A smirk formed on the woman's face as she pulled out a gun from her pocket. "Yes, you are. I was ordered to bring you in. They didn't say what kind of condition you had to be in." She pointed the gun at her arm. "Move it, or I'll start with your arm."

  The darkness of the woman's eyes told Elle the woman was serious. She whipped Elle back around towards the lot. Elle scanned the lot again, hoping to find something to help her escape. Her eyes narrowed in on the sedan. There was an outline of another car next to the sedan. She hadn't noticed it before because the sedan hid it. Elle adjusted her eyes but couldn't tell if there was anyone there. Her heart leapt. It was her car! Tiny and Keith must be here. If he were inside, though, he probably didn't know she was being moved.

  The sedan was getting closer and she didn't have much time. She inhaled as deeply as she could and blasted a loud scream that resonated through the night.

  The Amazonian grabbed her and pushed her against the sedan, jarring her shoulder and causing her to keep screaming in pain.

  "Shut up, you little bitch!" she screamed at Elle.

  "Everything okay?" Elle heard the officer's voice behind them and inched her head to see him peering out of an open window at the station.

  "Fine. Just uncooperative prisoner," the short blonde said.

  "
That's what I thought, but wanted to double check. Hope she doesn't cause you much trouble."

  "She won't," the blonde answered back as she opened the back car door.

  He shut the window.

  Amazonian moved Elle towards the door but froze when a figure stepped out of the car.

  "Why, hello ladies! Where we going?"

  The blonde pulled out her gun and he twisted it out of her hands and threw her inside the car, slammed the door and crushed it in to prevent her from escaping.

  Elle smiled. "Tiny!" she exclaimed in relief. The Amazonian twisted Elle around and used her as a shield. She held her gun against Elle's head.

  "Hey now, no need for that." He slowly walked towards the woman. "We just want to go. She's no threat to you."

  Amazonian smirked. "Of course she is, just like the rest of you Orions are." She moved her arm up to wrap around Elle's neck and began to choke her.

  Elle opened her mouth and started to wheeze.

  Tiny forced himself not to panic. He had to think straight. "Hey, hey, hey, let's talk trade. If you really want us that bad then you should take me. I'm the one with powers, not her."

  The woman's arm got tighter and Elle tried to scratch the woman's arm so she would move it away.

  "You know what? You're right! The Agency would be happier if I brought you in, instead." She did not let go of Elle.

  "Then let her go."

  Elle kept clawing at her.

  "No."

  "Let her go!"

  "No. I bring her in and I get a big bonus."

  Tiny heard a soft pop and a dark circle formed on the Amazonian's head and her body dropped to the ground. Tiny ducked and turned to find a hole in the windshield. He bolted to Elle, who was coughing, and shielded her body with his. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at the blonde in the car. Since bullets only bruised him he calmly walked over to the back door he’d crushed and pulled it completely off.

  The blonde threw her gun at Tiny. He glanced at it. It had a silencer attached to it. He aimed his gun at her. "Start talking."

  "I'm on your side."

  "Prove it."

  "The dead body over there doesn't prove it?" She nodded in the Amazonian's direction.

  "Nope."

  "Fine. Then interrogate me. I know you have someone on your team who has the ability to pull the truth from anyone." She extended her hands. "The key to the handcuffs is in my right pocket. Take them off Elle and put them on me."

  Elle peeked behind Tiny, rubbing her hand across her neck. "How do you know my name?" Her voice was low and hoarse.

  "I know everything about you, and I want to help you beat the Agency."

  “How did you find Elle?”

  “They took her fingerprints when they booked her. We had copies of them when she submitted them for the background check for her job so we were able to match them up and track her here.”

  Tiny did not look away or avert his eyes from the woman. He kept his gun on her as his hand fished into her pocket and removed the small key. He moved his hand behind him and Elle took it, unlocked the cuffs, and handed them to him. Tiny handed her his gun and she held it with her good arm as Tiny grabbed the blonde's hands and handcuffed them to the passenger headrest.

  "We need to get rid of the body." The blonde motioned towards the body on the ground. Tiny backed away from her and grabbed the door he ripped off and shoved it back against the car. He crushed a couple parts of it to keep it in place.

  He finally turned back towards Elle and ran his fingers down her scratched face. "If that bitch wasn't already dead I would kill her." Elle backed away slightly and Tiny swore to himself. He needed to back off a bit.

  He softened his voice. "How bad are you hurt?"

  "I think my shoulder is dislocated."

  "Shit!" He leaned his forehead against hers. "Sorry, Angel. I can't take you to a hospital anywhere here. We need to make them think you left with these bitches."

  Elle nodded in agreement. "I can wait."

  "Take your car and go to the address I will text you. I found your phone in the glove compartment and it's still fully charged."

  "Okay." She reached over and kissed his lips. "I love you," she said when she pulled away.

  Tiny's face lit up. "Love you, too, Angel."

  She walked around and opened her car door with her undamaged arm. She started her car.

  Tiny looked back at the body on the ground. He pulled out his cell phone and started typing.

  Chapter 26

  Tiny stared at his son sleeping in the crib.

  "He's so adorable." A soft voice behind him broke the silence.

  Tiny turned around and his breath caught in his throat. Elle stood there wearing a fluffy white robe which was slightly open, showing her arm in a sling. Her blond hair was wet and still dripping from her shower. His cock pressed against the denim. A couple of days had passed since they got back from Wyoming. They haven't had sex. The first few days Elle had been in pain with her dislocated shoulder. He hadn't wanted to push her or make her injury worse. Still, he couldn't wait to take her to bed and make her forget about the whole ordeal.

  "And you're so incredibly sexy." His voice was hoarse and raw with need. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Did you take the test?"

  She leaned her forehead against his. "Yeah, we need to wait about three minutes."

  "I honestly don't care what the results are. You're a part of me, Elle. I can't live without you."

  Her hand gently caressed his stubbled face. "I feel the same about you. That's why I want to marry you."

  He jumped back. "Really? I don't want you to marry me because you feel you have to..."

  Her lips captured his in a kiss. He savored her cinnamon sweetness. Her good arm wrapped around him and gently brought his body against hers. He moved his hand under her robe and traveled up to a breast and tweaked its nipple. Her body jolted against his. He stopped and looked into her blue eyes.

  She smiled back at him. "I don't think I could be happier."

  "Well, let's see what the test says." Tiny ran his fingers through her wet hair.

  "You know what? Let's wait to find out until after we're married," she suggested.

  "That's going to be difficult since you already took it. Whoever goes in there is going to see the results."

  "Hang on." She went to the dresser and took her cell phone. "I have an idea." She typed something on it and a moment later it pinged and she smiled.

  He edged closer to her and slid his hand into her robe and caressed her skin. He leaned in and whispered to her, "If your idea is to just keep making love until you are pregnant, than I'm all for it."

  She put her cell phone on the dresser. "No, it's not, but it's not a bad idea."

  He walked up behind her, pressed his throbbing erection against her, leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Why don't we get started?"

  She twisted around and flashed him a coy smile. "Wait five minutes, okay?"

  He dipped down and began to kiss her neck. "I don't think I can, Angel. I need you now."

  A knock interrupted him. Elle gently pushed him away to answer the door. "Hold that thought, soldier."

  Tiny moaned and pulled his shirt out to cover the bulge in front of his pants. He hoped whoever it was would leave fast.

  Elle opened the door and Christina walked in. "Hey, Elle. What do you need my help with?"

  "Tiny and I are getting married."

  Christina squeaked and hugged her friend. "Oh my God! I am so happy for you! When's the wedding?"

  "Next week." Tiny leaned against the dresser, a huge smile across his face.

  Elle's head whipped in his direction. "Next week?"

  He shrugged. "Why not?"

  Elle thought a moment and turned back to Christina. "Next week."

  "Ekk!" Christina squeaked again. "Doesn't anyone else know?"

  "No, not yet and I need your help with something."

  "Planning the wedding?" />
  "Yes, but there's something else."

  "What?"

  Elle pointed to the bathroom. "I took a pregnancy test and we don't want to know the results until after we are married. Can you take the test and give us the results after the wedding?"

  Christina's mouth dropped and she shot a dirty look at Tiny. "What did you do to my sweet Elle?"

  His eyebrows went up. "You want me to demonstrate in front of you?"

  "No!" She walked over to him and narrowed her eyes. "You better take care of her and be faithful to her. If I hear even a whisper that you are sleeping around..."

  "Not going to happen." He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm done with that life. Why do you think I want to get married so quickly?" He looked over her shoulder at Elle. "I don't want Elle to run away from me ever again."

  He turned back to look at Christina. "And if I do hurt her in any way you have my permission to deball me."

  She smirked . "Oh, I wouldn't have to, because Uncle Kenneth will do that."

  Tiny knew he probably paled at the comment. "Duly noted."

  Christina turned back at Elle. "So how do you want me to tell you guys?"

  Elle smiled. "Be creative."

  "Oh, I can get creative." Christina turned around and headed to the bathroom to retrieve the test.

  Elle walked back to Tiny and wrapped her arm around his waist. He bent down and kissed the top of her head. "Love you, Angel."

  "Love you too, Tiny."

  Epilogue

  Tiny clanked his glass with a fork, silencing the room. He looked at everyone seated at the enormous dining room table in the great room at the resort. His parents sat close by Elle and him and Kenneth and Helen sat directly across from them. Everyone else sat in the remaining seats, all wearing dresses and suits. Even baby Natalie and Tiny's son, Scott, whom Elle named after her grandfather, were dressed up fashionably, thanks to Missy.

  "I know usually the best man makes the first toast, but I'd like to jump in first. Sorry, Dean."